1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and processes for producing electrical stimuli and, more particularly, to variable frequency, low current devices and techniques for applying electrical stimuli to the human body. Specifically, one preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a variable frequency microcurrent device and method for producing electrical stimuli according to protocols developed to treat dental indications, for example, inflammation, associated with oral surgery or other dental or orthodontic procedures.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The application of electrical stimuli to treat pain and other medical indications such as disease or infection is known. The application of electrical stimuli in the case of abscessed or impacted teeth and canker sores is also known. Moreover, the treatment of pain in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) would be a logical extension of the application of electrical stimuli to treat other common types of pain. However, the application of electrical stimuli in conjunction with performing oral surgery or other dental or orthodontic procedures has not heretofore been known.
Furthermore, the application of electrical stimuli in the context of addressing fundamental causes to dental disease does not appear to have been investigated. In adopting a systemic approach to dentistry, inflammation and its role in dental problems becomes an important factor. There is evidence that inflammation and disease in the mouth can have a significant impact on the health of the remainder of the human body.
It is communicated increasingly in dental literature that there is a systemic link between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease. Grand Rounds in Oral Systemic Medicine, Volume 2, Number 3, September 2007, in the “Report of the Scottsdale Project,” Grand Rounds Supplement, pages 8-9, in FIG. 2, http://www.grandrounds-digital.com/grandrounds/200709/, explains one hypothesis for the connection. Oral flora forms a subgingival biofilm. Endotoxins, enzymes, and metabolic by products produced by the gram negative bacteria enter the blood stream triggering a host immune response. That immune response leads to the accumulation of inflammatory cells and the production of proinflammatory cytokines, specifically Interleukin-I and tissue necrosis factor Alpha.
An article appeared in the Journal of Endodontics in February of 2006 reporting an evaluation of pulpal inflammation and the incidence of coronary heart disease. The results reported in the article suggested a possible association between the number of root canals a patient had and coronary artery disease. See, Kaumudi J. Joshipura ScD, Waranuch Pitiphat ScD, Hsin-Chia Hung ScD, Walter C. Willett DrPH, Graham A. Colditz ScD, and Chester W. Douglass PhD, “Pulpal Inflammation and Incidence of Coronary Heart Disease,” Journal of Endodontics, Volume 32, Issue 2, February 2006, Pages 99-103.
Additionally, Jeffery S. Bland, PhD, FACN, CNS in his annual seminar in February, 2007 spoke at length about the link between inflammation and insulin resistance, and the vicious cycle that arises: when a diabetic patient has inflammation, he or she has more insulin resistance, and when the patient has more insulin resistance, it triggers more inflammation. It has been reported that treating periodontal disease in diabetic patients affords them better blood sugar control. As evidence, some periodontists evaluate control of periodontal disease by an HbA1c blood test, which reveals average blood glucose over a period of two to three months.
In the mouth where there are many types of microorganisms, the presence or absence of inflammation can mean the difference between health and disease, infection or no infection. Dr. Erica Steffe, the head of infectious diseases at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, located in Santa Rosa, Calif., generally believes that within the body there is a very fine line between an organ being merely inflamed and an organ being inflamed and infected. In addition, she believes that the presence of chronic inflammation in an organ causes that organ to be much more susceptible to infection.
Complications may arise in dental patients who undergo oral surgery or dental procedures, and inflammation is frequently symptomatic of these complications. The present invention addresses common dental maladies from an inflammatory perspective. The various embodiments of the present invention overcome dental problems related to inflammation through the application of frequency specific microcurrent protocols that treat inflammation and/or other symptoms such as pain.